9 Fun Facts for the 4th of July (and a Fun Poem)

BANG!

I love fun facts and here are some fun ones for the 4th of July. As we have go forth to whoop it up as Americans today let’s be proud of who we are. Proud of the profound and serious as well as the silly and fantastical. Have a wonderful and safe holiday!

1. Francis Scott Key, the writer of the Star Spangled Banner was a 35-year-old American lawyer at the time of it’s writing.
2. Independence Day has been celebrated since the 18th century but was not made a federal holiday until 1941.
3. According to census information available the estimated population of the United States of America in July 1776: 2.5 million; Estimated population July 2011: 311.7 million
4. “Because the static electricity in synthetic clothing can create sparks capable of detonating fireworks, those who make shells must stick to wearing cotton—all the way down to their underwear.”-NOVA online at www.pbs.org
5. “Fireworks use in the U.S. rose by almost two and a half times during the 1990s, from 67.6 million pounds in 1990 to 156.9 million pounds in 1999.”-NOVA online at www.pbs.org
6. Go here for the great story of the flag that inspired our National Anthem at smithsonianmag.com: What So Proudly We Hailed-The story behind the flag that inspired America’s national anthem,by Cate Lineberry, Smithsonian.com 2007 (note this is a longer read but really interesting!)
7. Sparklers with metal cores can be hottest in the middle section and can reach a temperature of 1000 F degrees (some sites say 1800 F degrees-which is hot enough to melt gold!). Wooden core sparklers burn down entirely but can cause burns from falling ash. (in other words-while they are fun-Please be careful!)
8. Hot dogs are one of the most popular foods for 4th of July. Coney Island hosted it’s 96th annual hot dog eating contest. The 2011 winner ate 62 dogs in ten minutes.
9. You can add your name to the Declaration of Independence for fun! Add your name to the Declaration of Independence and learn fun facts here.

A fun 4th of July Poem I loved as a kid:

ZANG!

CRASH!